Card feeding mechanism



3 Sheets-Sheet l June 14, 1938. A. w. MILLS CARD FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 14, 193e IN ENT R /d BY ATTORNEY June 14, 1938. A. wjMlLLs 2,120,369

CARD FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 14, 193e s sheets-sheet 2 Fraz.

on LB Law as 72K" u y y u 666s es nous @a SYM/ ATTORNEY June 14, 1938.

AA W. MILLS CARD FEEDING MECHANI SM Filed Nov. 14. 1936 FIG. 4.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 A INVENTOR d/0.244%

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Patented June 14, 1938- Albert W Mlllltlllllfcott, N.

Y.. aligner to Ina Machines Corporation.

` New York, N. Y.. a corporation of New York Y Application November 1,4, 193B, No. 110,810

s calm. (c1. isz-m) This invention relates to record card feeding devices such as are used in record card sorting and tabulating machines.V Such machines each include a magazine in which a stack of cards is 5 placed and a picker device which feeds the cards singly from the bottom of the stack. The cards are thereafter conveyed to pass a sensing station, which. in electric tabulatlng machines. comprises a line of individual brushes, one for each indicia recording column of thecard. At this sensing station. perforations in the record cards will permit the completion of electric circuits therethrough. which' are utilized to control various accumulating. printing, and other related mechanlsms.

'l'he principal object of the present invention is to provide means for determining whether the record cards pass the line of sensing brushes in correct relationship with respect thereto. When such machines are operated at high speed, it is important that the leading edge of thek record card remain parallel to the line of sensing brushes. If for some reason or other the card becomes slightly askew, the timing of the sensing devices is affected and the efficiency of the mechan'ism somewhat impaired. Accordingly; it is proposed to provide the record cards with a pair of notches arranged on opposite sides of the record cards and to provide a pair of separate sensing brushes in line with the normal sensing brushes and lying in the path of the notches in the sides of the cards. Circuits are provided which will control the machine to stop if the notches are not parallel to the line of brushes as 35 they pass the same. y

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be obvious from the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying the invention or from an inspection of .w the accompanying drawings; and the invention also constitutes certain new and useful features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 ls a view of the card feeding mechanism of the tabulating machine.

Fig. 2 is a view showing a card with the alinlng l Fig. 4 is a wiring diagram of the electric cir-` cuits associated with the device.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the timing of the various cam controlled contacts.

The card feeding mechanism in Fig. 1 is that shown in the patent to J. R. Peirce No. 2,042,324 to which machine the present invention may be applied. Before explaining the inventionI a brief explanation will be given of the operation of .this card feeding mechanism. In Fig. 1I the shaft I1 runs constantly throughout the operation of the machine and secured to this shaft is a clutch driving disk 43 cooperating with a dog 44 mounted upon an arm 45 .to which is flxedly connected a gear 48 to drive the card reading device, designated A, through an idler gear 4l. The engagement of these clutch elements is controlled by magnet 48 and armature latch 49. The magnet 4I, upon energization, draws armature latch 49 upwardly. releasing dog 44 so that its spring may bring it into engagement with driving disk 43. The magnet 48 thus causes connection to be made between constantly running shaft I1 and a ring gear l through piniony 5I and idler gear 41. The record cards are fed singly from the supply magazine l2 by the usual card picker mechanism comprising a slidably'mounted reciprocable plate Il carrying a picker knife 54 for cooperation with the record cards. The plate 53 has pin and slot connection with an arm 56 secured to a shaft $1 which carries at its end an arm B connected by a link 59 to a stud 60 mounted eccentrically on a pinion 6| meshing with ring gear 50. Each reciprocation of plate 63 and picker knife 54 causes a card to be fed from the magazine to the analyzing mechanism wherein the card is presented to two sets of analyzing brushes UB and LB which sense the perforations therein. 'Ihe feeding of the record cards is eiected by concentrically arranged pairs of rollers 64 having driving connection to ring gear 50 through the pinion gears It. The cards pass from the last pair of rollers 64 to any suitable stacker mechanism 66, that shown being of the rotary type, to the end of whose shaft is attached a gear 6l meshing with a pinion ll secured to pinion 6i. The cards are' fed to a discharge stack 68 in the same order they were in originally. `A shaft l0 is provided and driven through the gear indicated from ring gear S0 so as to make one revolution for each is a brush UB and a brush LB. The sides of the record card are provided with notches 1| as indicated which lie beyond the range of the analyzing brushes. Separate brushes 12L and 12R are arranged in the path of the notches 1I and cooperate therewith as will be explained in connection with the circuit diagram. In Fig. 3 is shown one of the brushes 12 as it makes contact through a notch with the common conducting roll 13. Referring now to Fig. 4, when the main line switch 400 is closed, current is supplied to the motor I2 of the machine to place the shaft I1 of Fig. 1 in operation. If the start key ST is depressed to close contacts ST2 and ST3, a circuit will be traced from line 24|, through wire 14, contacts ST3, relay RI3, to line 249. The relay will close its contacts Rl3a and Rilb and a holding circuit will thereupon be established for the relay, which is traceable from line 249, relay Rl3, contacts Ri3a, cam contacts R31, normally closed relay contacts RI Ic, contacts Ri2c. cam contacts F39, to line 24|. At the same time, the card feed clutch magnet 49 is energized through a circuit traceable from line 24|. card feed clutch magnet 49, contacts ST2. stop key contacts 402, to line 249. Upon release of the start key and opening of the related contacts. the card feed clutch magnet will remain energized through the circuit passing through normally closed contacts T1, contacts Ri3b and 402 to line 249. The card feed clutch will thus remain energized to permit continuous feeding of cards until contacts T1 open in response to initiation of total taking operations, as more fully described in the patent, or until relay contacts Rl3b open as a consequence of an inaccurate positioning of the card as it passes the analyzing brushes. A pair of cam contacts, designated F36, is timed as indicated in Fig. 5 to close at the time in the cycle of the machine when the notches 1I will be at the line of sensing brushes, provided the card is advancing in proper relation `to the other elements in the machine. If the card arrives properly, a circuit will be completed at such time, which is traceable from line 24|, cam contacts F35, right hand winding of relay magnet RI2, a wire 16, brush 12R, the right hand notch 1I of the card R, contact roller 13 and cam contacts FII to line 249. A parallel circuit will also branch through the right hand winding of relay magnet RII, wire 11, brush 12L, left hand notch 1I of the card R, contact roll 13, contacts FI I, to line 249. Energization of these windings will cause closure of their respective contacts Ri2a and Ri la, which, in turn, cause energization of the left hand windings of the relays which provide a holding circuit through cam contacts F35. The holding circuits are traceable from line 24|,. cam contacts F35 in parallel through contacts Riia and Rl2a, left hand windings of the relays RII and R|2 in parallel, wire 15, to line 249. Slightly before cam contacts F36 close. contacts F34 will close to maintain the holding circuit through relay RI3 and these contacts will hold the circuit for a short duration` as indicated in Fig. 5. At the same time that contacts F36 close, the contacts F31 and F39 open. If relays RII and RI2 have both been energized, their contacts Rilb and RI2b will close, while contacts F34 maintain the holding circuit for the relay RI3. Before the contacts F34 again open, the cam contacts F38 and F40 close so that the holding circuit for the relay RI 3 is now traceable from line 24|, cam contacts F40, contacts Ri2b, RI Ib, contacts F39, Ri3a, relay RI3, to line 249.

It will be apparent that if either of the contacts RI Ib or Ri2b or both of them fail to close, there will be no holding circuit traceable for the relay RI3 when the contacts F34 open again. Consequently, the contacts R|3b open and deenergize the card feed clutch magnet 4I so that interruption oi' card feeding will follow as a consequence. The cam contacts F34 are arranged to close a second time for a short period and during this period the contacts F35 open to drop the holding circuit for the relays RII and R|2 so that their contacts RI Ic and RI2c may again close. During this period, the cam contacts F31 and F39 also close, thus again setting up the original holding circuit for the relay RI3, which thereafter maintains the relay energized when contacts F34 are again opened, and the device is again in readiness for testing the alinement oi' the notches on the next following record card.

If for any reason the record card as it advances towards the analyzing brushes becomes retarded, the notches 1I will not be in line with the sensing brushes at the time contacts F39 close and the machine will stop. Similarly, if for some reason the card has become accelerated as it advances toward the line of sensing brushes, the circuit through the relays will not be completed. any reason the card becomes askew more than p an allowable degree, only one oi.' the relays RII or RI2 may be energized, in which case the holding circuit will again be broken and the machine will stop. It is obvious that the notches 1I may be located at other positions along the sides of the card according to the time at which it may be desired to check the alinement. In such case, it is simply necessary to re-adjust the timing of the several cam controlled contacts so that the same relative relationship to the new testing time is maintained.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification. it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a machine of the class described, a line oi sensing elements, means for feeding a record card to said sensing elements with the leading edge thereof parallel to said line, further sensing means arranged in line with said elements for determining whether the leading edge of said record card is parallel to said line of sensing elements, means for rendering said further sensing means effective for a predetermined interval during the feeding of the card and means controlled by said further sensing means upon determining that said record card edge and said line of elements are not parallel for causing interruption of the operation of said feeding means.

2. In a machine of the class described, a line of sensing elements, means for feeding a record card to said sensing elements with the leading edge thereof parallel to said line, said card having the edges adjacent to its leading edge notched, separate means for sensing each of said notches at said line of elements and means controlled by said separate sensing means for causing interruption of the operation of said feeding means when said notches are not presented concurrently at said line.

If for' 3. In a machine of the class described, means for feeding a record card through said machine, a pair of alined electrical sensing elements disposed in the path of said card and arranged to traverse opposite edges thereof, means for sending an impulse to each of said elements concurrently, a circuit completed by each of said elements and means included in said circuitsl to cause interruption of the operation of said feeding means.

4f In a machine of the class described, a record card having notches in opposite sides thereof, means for feeding said card through the machine and means cooperating with said notches for determining whether they are moving parallel to one anotherand means controlled by said determining means for interrupting the operation of the machine if the notches are not parallel.

5. In a machine of the class described, a sensing station,'means for feeding a record card having notches in opposite edges thereof through the machine to cause said notches to arriye at said sensing station at a predetermined time in the operation of the machine, testing means to determine whether the notches have arrived at said station at said predetermined time and means controlled by said testing means for causing interruption of the operation of said feeding means.

ALBERT W. MILLS. 

